Chapter 5
Cha-ching
Cha-ching
That was what Crash heard in his head when he walked through the three unfinished bedrooms with his father. The man rattled off a list of what was needed to complete the remainder of Crash’s house. With the way his dad talked, he might need to double his budget. At least he could now live in the house while he finished the renovations.
The house had been vacant for years, and when the real estate agent showed Crash the place, it needed a lot of work. Abbie assured him the place had great bones and managed to get him the place for way under the asking price. This meant he had plenty left for renovations, and in the almost two years he owned the house, he’d made a massive dent in that money.
Abbie married his co-worker, Ben ‘Trunk’ Murphy, who lived near Crash’s place. Some of the guys he worked with lived nearby, which worked out when he needed a few extra hands for cheap labor. He also got help from Keith since his boss owned NES and a construction company. In Hopedale there was always someone ready and willing to lend a hand.
It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get the house he wanted because once done, it was where he planned to spend the rest of his life. Hard work wasn’t a problem; he enjoyed working with his dad. His father built houses for a living before he retired, and the man didn’t hesitate to put on a tool belt when Crash showed him the place. His father wasn’t enjoying retirement, and according to Crash’s mother, he was driving her crazy.
When Crash first returned to Newfoundland, he cut all ties with Snapper. The guy didn’t seem upset when Crash explained he was getting help. Snapper simply wished him luck. It was a relief and much easier after he’d left Alberta.
“These rooms are not too bad. The floors are original and in decent shape. If we sand and refinish them, they’ll be as good as new. We’ll have to strip those bathrooms to the beams and put one of those multi-head showers like we did in the master bath.” His father grinned.
“Dad, I do have a budget.” Crash chuckled.
“You’re looking at the king of budget crunching. Trust me. We can get all of that done and still be under budget.” His father sounded confident.
His dad may be the king, but Crash had dipped deep into his savings with the kitchen and the living room renovations. Not to mention replacing all the electrical components because they were completely outdated. That little snag took a big bite out of his money.
He’d moved in once he had finished the lower level of the house. While Crash renovated, he’d lived with another co-worker, Hunter ‘Crunch’ Crawford. After Crunch’s fiancé moved in with her daughter, Crash decided it was time for him to reside in his place. He slept in the living room until they finished the master bedroom and bathroom. Thankfully, he finally got to sleep in his new bed, and his nightmares subsided again.
They were close to the final touches, and he was happy with how much they had done. He wasn’t about to pay for another multi-head shower for a bathroom used for the occasional guest. He wanted to finish everything and finally relax in his home.
He didn’t have anyone to start a family with. There was only one woman he wanted, and she’d made it clear they could never be anything but friends.
After the night of Hulk’s wedding, she never mentioned anything about what happened, and Crash didn’t bring it up. Of course, he’d only seen her once after that. He still got pissed about the idiot who almost ran over him and never found out who it was. Some teenagers were probably trying to find a place to do God knows what, but he still felt uneasy about it. He didn’t know why.
He kept his distance from Allyson over the last few weeks. Being close to her was so hard, knowing he could never have her as more than a friend. He’d fallen in love with her a long time ago. His heart knew it, but when Bethany told him about her patio door, he didn’t hesitate to make certain Allyson was safe. He’d dropped off the bar for her door that morning, and thankfully, her dad was there instead of Allyson.
“It shouldn’t take long to refinish the floors. They aren’t as bad as the rest of the house was. They’ll make nice rooms for a few kids,” his father hinted.
Crash felt that familiar punch in the gut at his comment because the truth was it wasn’t in his future. When he was a teenager, he ended up with mumps, and a rare side effect caused him to become infertile. He’d accepted that he’d never have children but hoped to marry and adopt one day. After all, there were far too many children in the world who needed loving parents.
“Shit, son. I’m sorry.” His dad’s eyes widened.
“Dad, it’s okay,” Crash assured him.
“I forget about it, you know,” his father squeezed Crash’s shoulder.
“It doesn’t mean I’ll never be a dad.” Crash slapped his dad on the back.
“That’s true,” his dad smiled.
Crash’s phone vibrated in his pocket, and he cursed under his breath when he saw his friend’s number on the screen. Wyatt tried to call him earlier, but Crash was in a meeting with Keith and couldn’t answer.
“Hang on, Dad. I got to take this.” Crash held up his finger as he put the phone to his ear.
Wyatt returned to Newfoundland a year earlier and was doing well. He’d gotten help for his addiction as well as his mental health. It was still difficult for both of them, but the man worked hard to keep his life on track for his family.
His parents helped Wyatt the same way they helped Crash. Thanks to them, Keith offered him a job even after Crash drove his car into the back of Keith’s jeep.
That day, Crash was leaving a meeting with his therapist, whom his dad had found for him, and he hit a patch of ice. He lost control of his vehicle and drove into the back of Keith’s Jeep. He also caused a chain reaction, and when Crash finally exited his car, four cars were damaged. He was sure the huge red-headed man was about to knock him out, but instead, he bought Crash a coffee while they waited for the police to arrive.
Crash was surprised by how easily he opened up to Keith, who was genuinely interested in Crash’s story. By the time he arrived home, Crash had a new friend and a new boss. After his parents, the first person he called was Wyatt.
Now that Wyatt was clean and sober and had his life on track, Crash got him an interview with Keith. It was probably the reason for the call. Crash knew Wyatt would be a excellent asset to NES.
“Hey, buddy,” Crash answered.
Nobody said anything, but Crash could hear sobbing. It sounded like a woman, but he couldn’t be sure. He heard the rev of an engine, and for a second, he thought Wyatt butt-dialed him. He heard a muffled voice but couldn’t make out anything they were saying. He waited for a moment and then spoke again.
“Hello? Wyatt?” Crash tensed when he heard a motor rev.
“Please, let her go. She doesn’t know anything.” Wyatt’s voice was barely audible.
“Wyatt? Let who go?” Crash glanced at his father.
They both knew how easy it was for someone to fall off the wagon. Crash had a beer occasionally but knew the possibility of sliding down that slippery slope again. His father wouldn’t because he always said if he had one, he wouldn’t stop at that.
Crash hit the speaker on his phone so they both could hear the call. The sound of a revving engine had them both looking at each other with the same anxious expression.
“Wyatt? Where are you?” Crash’s father shouted.
“Mack? We can’t escape…” there was a sob. “I fucked up. I fucked up big time, and I trusted the wrong people. Protect them, Brent. Don’t let them get her.”
“Wyatt, where are you? Let us come get you, and we can talk,” Crash begged.
“It’s too late. You need to be careful, Brent. You and Ax can’t… You got to… Fuck.”
A loud scraping sounded like metal, and then there was a rustle, as if Wyatt was driving through trees. It didn’t make sense, but the last thing he heard was a shriek before the call ended.
Crash immediately tried to get Wyatt back on the phone. It rang several times before going to voicemail. He tried again as he and his father ran out of the house to his dad’s truck.
“Damn it, Wyatt. Answer the fucking phone,” Crash shouted as they pulled onto the highway leading to St. John’s.
“What is he talking about, Brent?” his father asked.
“I have no idea. Jesus, Dad. I thought he was doing great.” Crash choked on the words.
“That didn’t sound like it,” his father snapped.
“I should’ve answered his call earlier,” Crash said mainly to himself.
“Don’t you dare go down that road. You’re not responsible, and he knows when he gets low to call his sponsor,” his father said as he grabbed Crash’s arm. “Do you hear me, son?”
“Yeah, Dad.” Crash closed his eyes.
“Was that Ellie screaming?” His father asked the question Crash was afraid to think about.
“I don’t know. Jesus, the kids.” Crash choked out the words.
With his phone gripped in his hand, Brent watched the scenery as his father sped through the streets to get to Wyatt’s house. Hopefully, Ellie was at home, and the scream he heard wasn’t her.